Heat sinking op-amps - any audio improvements?

I’m debating trying some on some NE5532’s. Worth the effort?

Why not? It's an inexpensive tweak and can easily reverted.

@imhififan 

Why not? It's an inexpensive tweak and can easily reverted.

Most definitely. I didn't reply, because I had already decided in my mind that I was going to do a little experimenting anyways. IMO, it's the perfect winter project. I have some NE5532's that have been powered up for around 21 years 24-7-365. I applaud that chip, and the design of the piece of equipment they are installed in. I know it sounds crazy, but maybe keeping them even a little bit cooler might be beneficial.     

I know it sounds crazy, but maybe keeping them even a little bit cooler might be beneficial.     

Crazy? Not really.

Thermal Design Basics - Analog Devices

The question was whether heat sinking would sound better. The answer is no. Is it worth heat sinking these op amps to improve reliability? Well, it’s nice to do but we used thousands of these in our designs in relatively hot projection booths and never had an issue with them.  OTOH, tiny heat sinks are cheap and easy to apply, and they look pretty damn cool.

If you are going to add heat sinks, the voltage regulators are a great place to start.

Odd places where I have found heat sinks matter are CPUs on Wifi routers. For many years these things were grossly undercooled and several brands I used got a lot more reliable after adding heat sinks and/or fans and ventilation holes.

@erik_squires 

If you are going to add heat sinks, the voltage regulators are a great place to start.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

@imhififan 

Thanks for the article!